Government of Kenya officially confirms pathologists Lancet Kenya as an accredited lab for Covid-19 testing

The government has issued an official confirmation that Pathologists Lancet Kenya is among the laboratories accredited to conduct COVID-19 testing in the country as the Ministry of Health strives to expand testing of Kenyans to help curb the pandemic.

A communication by the Ministry's Director General Dr. Patrick Amoth dated 24th April, 2020 reads: “Pathologists Lancet Kenya like the other laboratories has validated its PCR assays for COVID-19 against the National Influenza Centre (NIC) which uses recommended primers and probes from the World Health Organization (WHO).”

“The Ministry of Health appreciates the contributions of all the various laboratories that have been validated to conduct COVID-19 testing in the country and whose results form part of the daily tally that the Ministry shares with the public.”

In response, Lancet’s Group MD and Consultant Pathologist Dr. Ahmed Kalebi said: “We are committed to supporting government's efforts in enhancing COVID-19 testing as that’s the key pathway of tackling this global pandemic effectively.”

He added: “Lancet obtained the government's approval on 4th April after which we launched testing locally on April 6th 2020. Since then, we’ve conducted more than 1700 PCR tests for COVID-19 despite the initial challenges of securing testing kits and reagents from our global suppliers. We currently have capacity to process between 180-270 samples a day with room to scale up to over 1000 samples a day as demand may dictate. The Turn-Around-Time for the tests is 24 hours.”

The lab employs various sample collection methods for COVID-19 testing including the drive-through system in which patients are attended to whilst in their cars; this is meant to cut potential risks of disease transmission to others. Lancet’s COVID-19 testing is offered only to patients referred by their doctors based on case definition or risk factors with priority given to hospitalized patients, those with underlying conditions, the elderly as well as healthcare workers.

Edwin Mosongo, Business Development & Marketing Manager 0724 702 040 / 0703 061 000 Edwin.mosongo@lancet.co.ke

ABOUT PATHOLOGISTS LANCET KENYA

Pathologists Lancet Kenya is an internationally-accredited laboratory that is ISO15189 certified since 2010. We’re duly registered and licensed as a Class F National Reference Laboratory by the Kenya Medical Laboratory Technicians and Technologists Board (KMLTTB) as well as the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC). Pathologists Lancet Kenya is the first and only World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-approved lab in Sub-Saharan Africa since August 2018.Our branch network spreads across the country to ensure maximum coverage to our clients with other value-added services such as home collections and Courier services, aimed at personalized and convenient care.